The Walking Dead: Frostbite
by Riddick writer
Summary: Winter has begun to fall and our survivors have yet to escape the city. Amongst the cold and living dead, the survivors will now deal with something the human race is always on the verge of... anarchy. In the end, loyalties will be tested, the snow will run red, and people will die all in this great escape from the city! (Sequel to The Walking Dead: Survival of the Fittest)
1. Prologue

**The Walking Dead: Frostbite**

**Riddick Writer: **I do not own any characters, terms, ideas, etc. from the show. I am just a major fan of the show like you guys! Enjoy the story! (**If you have not read this story's prequel, The Walking Dead: Survival of the Fittest, I highly recommend doing so because this story picks up during the evening of the first story!) **

_Prologue_

**The night of the grocery store incident... Building of Public Safety, Madison, WI**

"HEY! IS SOMEONE DOWN THERE?!"

All of short British surgeon Michelle Howard blinked her green eyes like she had seen a ghost. She felt her feet moving quicker and quicker passing the seemingly dead bodies scattered down the cell block's musty hall. The pale arm waved through the bar ahead of her limply, it seemed odd…

"Hang on I'm going to get you out," Michelle called as she came within ten feet of the arm's cell. Finally she stood in front of it and what she saw nearly made her vomit on the spot…

She bent over full force and backed into the opposite cell, her brunette and purple highlighted hair hanging in her face as she stared at the blood stained floor. "What's a matter princess? Too much blood for ya?"

Immediately Michelle looked up at the comforting sound of a human voice but found the amputated arm hard to look at. Through the bars a shirtless man in orange prison sweats stood, in his right hand, he held a removed arm from his cellmate, who was beyond dead in the corner of the cell. Blood still reeked from the body and the arm like garbage in a dumpster.

"Why…" she had to pause to gather herself, "Why did you rip off that man's arm?" Her eyes were wide with disbelief at the inmate who grinned madly dropping the arm to the cell floor with sick _slap. _

"Well after he died last night, let's just say he came back, but with a bit of a hunger," his hazel eyes flicked with amusement. "So I rekilled him… it wasn't easy, I stabbed him about thirty fucking times, and eventually hacked off his arm. But it wasn't until I stuck the damn shank in his head that he finally died."

Michelle felt herself retch again at the story. The inmate definitely wasn't lying either. The body was covered in stab wounds, and the severed arm definitely wasn't cut off cleanly. The considerable amount of gore and bone fragments by the body told the twenty seven year old surgeon that much.

She gulped, "So… your saying he came back to life after dying?"

He nodded grimly and looked over at the body almost bored. "Yep, sounds about right, must have not liked it in hell."

"Was he bitten?"

That's when the inmate's eyes came back to her solemnly. He shook his slowly, "No, he wasn't. He died about an hour before the freaks started coming in. I was lucky the guards didn't get to open my cell," he indicated the bodies surrounding Michelle's feet, "Otherwise I'd be like them."

Michelle stared down at the horror stricken face of an Asian man. Based on his expression she guessed he had been in pain. Suddenly there was a loud screech from her right and Michelle literally jumped into the bars of the inmate's cell screaming.

Spinning around she found herself face to face with a pale skinned guard bathed in blood. His eyes were the same red she had known so well for the past day…

"OH GOD NO HELP ME!" She continued screaming profusely as the zombie opened its jaws and prepared to bite her seconds before an ink covered arm flew through the bars at its head making a disgusting _sploosh _that decorated Michelle's face with scarlet.

She instantly stopped screaming and gasped in shock as the body slumped to the ground. Standing up against the bars right behind her was the inmate, a crude shiny red metal blade in his hand. Her green eyes went to his in amazement.

"Yeah, yeah, now come on princess, get me outta this fucking bird cage!" He kicked at the bars heavily, slipping the bloody shank back into his pocket.

He saved her life, now she was obligated to let him out. She didn't have a moral choice… _God why did she have to be so stupid?_ She easily could have killed that thing on her own without his help!

"Come on! We don't have all damn day!"

Scowling Michelle brushed her brunette hair from her face and turning the latch, opened the cell door. She then received her first actual look at her savior.

He was of average height with long greasy brown hair and a grisly brown goatee that hung loosely from his chin like a rag. His face was worn and stern from many days in jail, but his most distinctive trait covered his torso and arms…

Up and down his arms and torso ran rivers of ink, various tattoos that read messages and showed colorful images of skulls, fire, and animals. She couldn't belief that he fit that amount of ink on his body. It was, well, revolting to her!

Stepping forward he grinned madly and held out a blood stained hand for her to shake. He gave her a yellowish white smile, _"Name's Keith princess, what's yours?" _

**XVX**

"Come on, stay with me," the auburn haired doctor urged as she pressed the cup of water to the deputy's lips. "Just a swallow, you need to keep yourself nourished."

The deputy moaned and adjusted himself against the wall. "It d-doesn't matter, it's too late already."

Her blue eyes widened in surprise, "Too late for what? Look you're going to be just fine I'm a doctor, fully trained." Yet the deputy shook his head miserably as if he was already dead. It was pitiful to watch.

Slowly Olivia scooted away on the floor watching him as she set the glass down. His face was one of pain, despite the fact that the fierce neck wound had stopped bleeding. She could only imagine his pain and continued to stare with concern. Finally deciding to check the lobby for Michelle, she stood.

"I'll be right back," she announced to him cheerfully. He barely glanced at her before returning his gaze to his feet like a scolded child. Frowning Olivia exited the room making her way down the mess that once served as a hallway for the Sheriff's office in Madison.

When she reached the lobby she found it as deserted and ruined as when she and Michelle had first seeked shelter from the undead in it. Solemnly she stepped across the carpeted floor to the center of the front desk. For the first time since the outbreak, she found herself staring at wood unscathed by blood…

Instead it was scattered with paperwork, pens, and various office items. But she hadn't expected to see the portrait of a pretty little girl. Instantly her hands grabbed hold of it pulling it up to her freckly face for inspection. A smile of sadness escaped her lips before she set it back down. _She was someone's child at one point…_

It was so difficult to grasp the fact that the world she knew was gone. Friends, family, neighbors, strangers, police officers, and any type of person you could imagine, gone.

It _was as if a hurricane had come through the world tearing it apart…_

Suddenly the front doors of the office flew open and Olivia looked up in alarm only to see her British colleague enter with a dirty looking man in orange pants. Once inside Michelle turned to the door shutting it faster than Olivia could comprehend.

"Nice place here," the man said coldly, his eyes surveying the offices to the left. Olivia felt a flash of unhappiness pass through her; _he must be the convict… _

"Oh yes, I actually set it up like this," she replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

The convict raised his brows in amusement then raising a tattooed arm pushed his hair back revealing stern face. "Oh yeah?" Tension suddenly became evident so Michelle spoke hoping to clear the air.

"How is the deputy Olivia?"

Keith chuckled, "Deputy? One of those fuckers survived?"

Olivia fought back the urge to shoot him a glare. "He's doing well, the bleeding restarted but I managed to stop it again." Michelle nodded slowly moving across the lobby towards the hall that contained the deputy's room. Olivia followed her with her eyes then gave Keith a dark look as he followed Olivia oblivious to her glare.

Upon entering the room the three found the deputy unconscious. His eyes sealed shut and his skin pale once more. Instantly both British medical experts crowded him by the wall while Keith leaned against the opposite wall folding his arms. He kept a poker face while the women fretted.

"It looks like its beginning to get infected," Michelle gasped as she ran the tips of her fingers along the blackening bite mark. Olivia stared in thought, her lips pursed.

"He's probably gonna turn," a monotone voice said.

Both girls whipped around on him like clones giving him a look of disbelief. Michelle gulped, "Like your cellmate did?"

In panic Olivia turned to her head back to Keith. "What? Your cellmate turned into one of them?!"

Keith nodded slowly raising a hand to scratch the hair on his jaw line, "Yeah, asshole tried to kill me, let's just say I showed him who's boss." Both girls looked at each other with growing concern on their faces.

Olivia quickly turned back to Keith standing, "Did he die the night of the outbreak or before then," she demanded.

Keith scoffed and rolled his eyes, "He died before the bloodbath princess, poor bastard was sick for days. But based on the way he came after me, he was pretty lively." Olivia scowled at the sick joke and turning her attention back to the motionless deputy.

"Is it possible to turn while still living," Michelle pondered out loud.

"I don't know," Olivia replied miserably as she shook her head, "but I'm not giving up on him." She ran an icy hand across the man's forehead and stroked his hair.

Keith laughed out loud. "Whatever, I'm going to find some warmth, its fucking freezing." And as if he hadn't a care in the world he left the girls staring after the large skull and designs tattooed on his back. Once he had gone, they both sat down cross legged with sad expressions.

Nearly a minute of silence passed before Olivia sighed, "So what's his name? Or hasn't he permitted you that information yet?"

Michelle shook her head slowly and petted her highlights. "No, his name's Keith. But I don't anything else about him, other than the fact that he's got some sort of shank on him." Olivia frowned at the mention of a weapon and glanced back at the door to make sure he hadn't reappeared.

"Let's be careful," she whispered back, "We have no idea on what his intentions are."

"What you think he'll kill us?"

Olivia cursed quietly, "No Michelle, he's going to hug us in our sleep."

The sarcastic retort made Michelle stare at the floor. Both girls remained silent until Keith returned his tattooed body now covered in a denim jacket loaded with pockets. "You like? I picked it off some idiot that looked like he was trying to climb out the window."

In disgust neither of the British women said anything making him smirk and lean against the wall once more. A minute of silence passed before he finally ran a hand through his greasy hair, "Look, the bastard's as good as dead. I say we leave him and get out of here while it's still dark, that way they won't see us… I assume their crawling the streets?"

Olivia nodded slowly, "Yes, they own the streets. As for him," she indicated the deputy, "were not leaving him." The convict didn't like the last part.

"Are you fucking me?! Look at him, he's seconds from death, for fuck's sake does he even have a pulse!"

"Keep yelling like that and you're going to attract the whole damn horde," Olivia snapped back as she stood once more and stormed up to his face. "Is that what you want?"

She let the words sink in effectively. The look on the convict's face was unreadable, but she felt it was successful as she stepped away. The tension in the room was stinging them all powerfully, leaving it deathly silent. Just like the city outside…

"Look you two now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves." Both Olivia and Keith looked at Michelle who still sat on the floor in surprise. "I say we spend the night here, set up a watch maybe, and get some rest. Then tomorrow we can search for food and more antibiotics."

An awkward silence followed her words. Olivia was the first to speak afterwards, "Agreed, I'll take the first watch." Keith rolled his hazel eyes in annoyance but without speaking slid down against the wall into a seated position.

_"Fine, have it your way," was all he said, and so the trio proceeded with the plan…_

**XVX**

"_I love you Olivia, now and always, but if Madison is where you want to go, then that's where you belong." Her eyes met his as he stroked a firm hand through her auburn hair down to her freckled cheek. The first drops of rain began to fall, poking them like needles. _

_ "But Nick, I can't just leave you behind. Were getting married…" _

_ He smiled. A smile so great that it touched her heart with warmth. She felt butterflies soar through her body. _

_ "You have to go where you want, not where I want, and not where anyone else wants you to. But where you want to." _

_ She opened her mouth to protest once more but instead was engulfed by his lips. Just as the rain began to come down heavier, drenching the college couple as the London night dragged on… _

Like a gunshot the dream ended and Olivia lurched upwards with alertness. She had been kicked awake and woken by a repetitive chewing sound. Gazing across the room she found Keith still fast asleep. To her right in the corner Michelle was doing the same, but when she turned to her left she gasped in despair.

Hunched over the now mutilated deputy, was a blood soaked male. Flesh, guts, and blood were literally scattered about the floor like crumbs. In disgust Olivia wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, but most of all she mourned the deputy. His lifeless face was one of shock; he had most likely been taken of advantage of in his comatose state and killed with ease. Simply eaten alive unable to resist.

Blindly a rage overcame her and the short doctor stood delivering a fierce heel to the zombie's skull, sending the cannibalistic creature face first into the deputy's rib cage. She then screamed as it turned its attention to her revealing a half torn jaw and missing eyeball.

Again she attempted to kick but this time its hands latched onto her shin and he attempted to bite her. She managed to yank her leg out just as the zombie's red teeth closed on air and a hiss escaped its bloody lips.

Screaming as high as her lungs would allow she ran out of the room into the lobby, the zombie following her at a fast hobble. Its groans were deafening as Olivia grabbed hold of the chair in the lobby and threw it at the zombie having virtually no effect. Instead it continued towards her like monster it was.

Again she screamed and scrambled over the desk, running to the front doors with its hot breath on her neck. Not thinking she pushed the doors open and rushed out into the chilly night air with her attacker right behind her. It wasn't until she got halfway across the street that her foot caught in the armpit of a corpse, escorting her straight to the cement painfully.

Before she could even stir from frost covered road, the deputy's killer was on top of her clawing at her clothes as it attempted to get a good grip. Olivia screamed relentlessly, she was clueless to the other forms slinking out of the shadows.

"MICHELLE! KEITH! NICK! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

_That's when she saw it, the light in the distant darkness coming to greet her… _

**Riddick Writer: **Fun first chapter that leaves off with a cliffhanger! So what do you guys think of our new character? How do you guys feel about the deputy? Olivia showing a less friendly side? Remember who likes reviews! THIS GUY! :D


	2. Alive

**The Walking Dead: Frostbite**

**Riddick Writer: **I do not own any characters, terms, ideas, etc. from the show. I am just a major fan of the show like you guys! Enjoy the story! :P

_Chapter 1: Alive_

**Present time, grocery store…**

He lied there on the once shiny white tile, in a lake of blood. Surrounding his corpse were other corpses of the re-dead, and previously dead. All of them red eyed and pale skinned with various wounds to their physique.

It was pitiful to see a loyal country man die in such a horrible way. His body covered in scratches and wounds. His flesh was torn along his muscular arms where teeth had sunk in, not to mention the bruises, which also decorated his skin.

Matt Hammond was dead. Dead, dead, dead and never to return again, of course maybe as a zombie, or as the group calls them: 'one of them.'

But then suddenly, amidst his blood soaked body, his stone cold blue eyes flashed open on his pained face like lightning. His arms rose from the stickiness of the blood and tile, his legs shuffled, smearing the blood in a nasty fashion. Lastly a deep sigh escaped his lips and he shook his gray, buzz cutt head.

Like a person learning to move again, he moved his hand slowly towards his face. His vision blurry as he watched the strange red object moving towards him, eventually it stopped. His vision cleared up and he could see that it was his hand.

Every detail on his hand he could pick out, the hairs on his knuckles, the lines of his palm, everything. It was like looking at a memorized picture…

_I'm alive? How? They had me surrounded, tearing into me like knives… Yet, here I am opening my eyes… Could I possibly be turning into one now? Is that why I've come back?_

These thoughts rattled through his head as he struggled to sit up. Gritting his teeth, he finally managed and stared straight ahead at the ruined glass doors of the store. Beyond the shattered glass doors, he saw his truck in the morning light, sprinkled with frost. Its windows were all smashed and several dents were noticeable in it from where the horde had scrambled to get into the building.

_How did the entire horde know I was here…? _

The thought seemed distant but he caught sight of black metallic item in the corner of his eye. He turned his head slowly letting his gaze fall on the shotgun he had used the night before. It lay in a knot of pale corpses; a zombie's blown away farce lay right next to it.

Instinctively, the forty five year old crawled across the bodies and blood to it. He then snatched it up and using the Remington shotgun as a sort of cane, managed to stand with a grunt of pain.

As soon as he was up blood rushed to his head, blurring his vision and making him feel light headed as if buzzed on a drug. _Why am I still alive?_

He was thankful, but bothered by it. Suddenly he remembered the girls from last night. The brunette around his age, the young teen, the baby, the curly haired one… _Did they all make it out? _

_ What if the horde went after them and killed them instead of him?! What about Jon and the girl he left behind at the gas station? Did they all survive? Or was he the only one left… _

He was prepared for this. Prepared to be the final survivor of this incredible horror that struck the world…

He stared down at all the bodies scattered about the front end of the story. Endless rivers of blood trailed off from each connecting to other bodies like a channel of red water. He spotted one zombie, a large hole blasted through its chest cavity destroying its insides in gory fashion. _I must have killed this one, or the curly girl did, she had a shotgun too. A semi automatic if he remembered correctly, the brunette girl had used it last night too. They were standing at the door trying to save him and the teen, but they chose the teen and the infant over him. Thank god for that… _

That's when Matt noticed something odd though. First of all he didn't remember killing the entire horde last night… In fact the twenty or so that remained after he ran out of shells had killed him, or should have. For some odd reason he was still breathing, but damn glad to be.

Secondly his blue eyes found one re-dead, she wore a brown polo for the store and khakis. She had obviously been working when she died, but she had been re-killed by a precise hole in her forehead. Crouching down for a closer look, the ex-soldier hesitantly brought his bloody hand to the hole. Lifting her head by her blonde hair in disgust he realized the bullet hadn't traveled through, _strange_. 

Standing he noticed several other corpses were like this. It was evident which one's had been blasted by one of the two shotguns last night and which ones hadn't.

Looking down at himself Matt found himself soaked from head to toe in blood. Some his, but most wasn't. He had fell in a puddle running into the girls last night, and fell again when the horde should have killed him. _How the hell was he still alive? _

It was at that moment that the store's ghostly silence began to bother him, and he remembered why he had come here. _Food… _

He took two brief steps before hearing an all too familiar sound. A grotesque moan followed by the dragging of feet. Immediately he whipped around nearly tripping over a body as his eyes widened in shock.

Limping out of the last checkout lane towards him was one of the girls…

Her curly black hair was a tangled mess; her once tanned face was now pale and torn. Flesh and skin hung off it in a revolting manner like what was left of her clothes. Her torn pants exposed her bare thighs which were covered in cuts and bruises along with her arms. But worst of all was her mutilated flesh.

It made him want to bend over and wretch. He felt like vomiting. But instead the ex soldier held his composure and flexed his beat up body in confidence. He took a heavy step over two bodies pressed together, then stepped over a third. The girl he had once known, _Colee… _had that been her name, approached rapidly. Her moans getting louder as she limped towards him rapidly, her dilated pupils fixated on Matt.

He felt a pain in his chest as he stepped over more bodies, finally he was out of that mess and left alone on clean tiles near the third check out lane. Colee was at the fifth and closing in fast.

"Sorry, wish it didn't have to be this way. I told you to run."

With that comment Matt flipped the shotgun in his calloused hands, and using the pistol grip end of the shotgun, prepared to swing it like a bat. Colee screeched in response and opened her blood red lips. Such a once beautiful girl, now so ugly…

Matt couldn't take anymore he closed the final steps and swung.

There was gut churning _thwack _as the end of the shotgun collided with her temple sending the screeching zombie straight to the tile. There she thrashed about for a few moments before becoming still. Her eyes wide open still along with her mouth. Matt pitied her, and so, he crouched down to her face and shut her eye lids. He then closed her mouth; she didn't deserve to look so hideous, as she passed into a better place…

Standing he exhaled heavily and let his massive shoulders droop. _Why did she have to go? Why not him? How did he possibly survive when she didn't? _

"Hand ups, and d-don't move or we'll shoot!"

Matt perked up instantly and turned his head to the side trying to get a view of his intruder. The voice was young, definitely someone under thirty, perhaps twenties. And he said 'we,' which means he has a companion, best decision would be to obey.

"Drop the gun too man."

Without hesitation Matt lowered the gun down next to Colee's unmoving form and stood back up erect, his buff arms raised above his blood soaked body. He heard one of the intruders take a step forward, the tile _tapping _respectfully.

"Luke you still got those cuffs man?"

Matt heard a shuffling as if digging in a pocket and for a second thought about taking off, but the risk was too great. He didn't know how good of a shot these guys were, and would rather not risk taking a bullet… He'd be a goner for sure then…

"Alright man, don't move," the voice was now extremely close, within two yards.

He listened intensely as a cold hand gripped his wrist and the _clinking _of metal was heard. That's when he took action.

In a flash of motion Matt spun around and quicker than a cheetah shot a fist into the man's gut and snatched his wrist with his other hand. The younger man coughed in pain as he was pulled into a hostage position where Matt's forearm was around his neck choking him. His companion was even younger, no older than twenty and stared in awe with wide brown eyes.

In his hands he held a bow; an arrow was notched on the string. Its tip reflected in the store's lights menacingly as the shaggy haired teen took aim with a stern face.

Matt glared in response while the tough looking young adult struggled in his grasp. "Shoot, I dare you! Your friend will hit the tile dead before you even get close to hitting me with that arrow!" Matt was dead serious, there was no way an arrow could go through his hostage and stand a chance of hitting him.

But the teen didn't move. He looked perplexed, and continued to aim fiercely, his arm trembling from the strength of the bow as he focused intently on Matt and his companion.

"What's the matter, you don't talk? Come on damn it, say something!"

That's when his hostage began to stir more viciously until finally his chin blocked Matt's burly fore arm, "He's… deaf," his voice came out hoarse but Matt heard it despite his poor hearing from years of shooting range practice.

"If you let me go… we… can… work things… out," the sandy brown haired hostage gasped. He was lanky and wearing a brown jacket of suitable worth with a pair of holy looking jeans and long johns underneath.

Matt considered his options, play out the standoff, or settle to negotiate. Considering they were both so young, he stuck his leg in between the hostage and shoved him hard in the back.

He fell forward barely catching himself next to a trio of bodies. He coughed profusely and climbed to his feet wiping away spit from his mouth. Matt panted in response. His body was too beat up and deprived of nourishment to fight for long…

"Okay look, were not here to fight man. We just gathering food," the lanky brown eyed man indicated the cart full of canned food behind his teenage companion. "We have a lot of people that need it. So come on man, just let us go and we can go separate ways. I don't want to start a fight; we've had enough of those as it is."

Matt listened with interest. "You said you have people that need it? What do you mean, you have others your with? Like other human beings?" He demanded his voice full of authority.

The former hostage nodded quickly, "Yeah, we got about ten or so back at our place. A pregnant woman, older guys, a kid, and look we just want to get back to them."

Matt picked up his shotgun slowly and stood up sighing heavily. His odds favored sole survivor, but after last night. After Colee, after seeing the brunette and the baby, and the other girl, Jon, it all had changed him… He no longer felt sole survivor was the way for him. He was no longer so _selfish… _

He raised his gray brows and relaxed his stern face, "Let me come with you and help. I can provide weapons and protection." It sounded so weird… Him asking someone he could easily kill for something. It just wasn't military, and it certainly wasn't him…

The two younger men exchanged glances and with a queer look the closer man stepped forward holding out his hand. "Name is Zach; you can come with us, we'd be happy to take you in."

For the first time in what felt like ages Matt smiled and shook his hand firmly. Making him wince, "That guy behind me is Luke," Zach said motioning to the teen. Luke didn't catch on and instead stood with his bow and arrow pointed to the bodies he stood near.

"He's- "Deaf, I know," Matt interrupted nodding his head to Luke who looked up with a questioning face. "I'M MATT," the soldier boomed.

Luke smirked and nodded heavily making his shaggy auburn hair flop over his brown eyes in understanding. Matt felt his lips curl into a smile again as he bent over picking up the hand cuffs. "You might want these back. Just don't try putting them on me again, next time I'll break your arm."

Zach laughed at that and accepted the cuffs sticking them in his coat pocket. "It's cold outside now man; you might want to find a jacket or something."

Matt nodded, "No shit," he grumbled as he walked over to an employee coat rack beyond the check out counters. There he found a navy blue jacket with sufficient padding. "This works," he muttered sliding it on.

Zach pushed the cart literally overflowing with canned food outside, Luke followed closely and even Matt did. Once outside Matt realized it had frosted last night. Everything, including his once brand new red pick up was covered in a sparkly white frost. The truck was now practically demolished, but he knew the gun bag was still underneath the tailgate.

"Wait up," Matt ordered making Zach stop and turn around just in time for Luke to walk into him. It was comical to see the two collide in the parking lot but Matt resisted the urge to insult them or laugh.

"I got these bad boys under here," he called reaching underneath the truck to find the bag. Sure enough he slung it up on the ruined truck's open bed and unzipped it. His hand found shotgun shells fast and soon the shells were being loaded into the side of the black shotgun. Luke and Zach abandoned the cart and appeared on either side of him.

"Whoa man, you don't need to load that," Zach began to reach for the gun in a sort of panic but Matt shoved him off easily with one arm.

"Don't touch my stuff or tell me what to do damn it! I said I would protect you guys!" He turned his angry gaze to Luke who stepped away cautiously; it was hard to know what the deaf teen was thinking. "In order to do that I need to make use of my guns. Got a problem with it, find someone else!"

Zach scratched his cropped sandy hair in thought then looked up with his brown eyes back at Matt and threw his arms up. "Okay. We appreciate it. How many guns you got?"

"Enough," Matt spat in response as he sealed the duffle bag shut and threw it over his shoulder gritting his teeth in pain. The weight of the guns and ammo on his wounded body was painful, but he'd endure.

"Okay," Zach said dismally as he turned back to the cart. He reached it quick enough with Matt and Luke behind him gazing around the trashed city cautiously. Everything seemed eerily quiet and strange the frost sparkling everywhere. It was only a matter of time before a heavier snowfall fell; they'd definitely be in trouble if they got caught outside then.

But for now the sky was a dull gray. No sun was visible but based on the chills the trio was experiencing; they could tell it was morning. "So what are we heading towards anyways," Matt asked.

"The red Jimmy parked across the street," Zach said pointing, "It's mine. We just decided not to park in the lot because we didn't want to have to deal with limpers."

"Limpers?" Matt questioned the word with a hint of dislike.

"That's what we call them," Zach explained shrugging as he pushed the cart off the curb making a loud _clatter_ as the cart full of cans hit the frosty black top.

It was loud enough to even make Luke turn his attention to it. Thankfully however, no limpers appeared, and the group proceeded to the red vehicle.

"Pop the trunk," Matt ordered briskly as he moved to the back of the vehicle. Zach wasn't one to disobey and soon the back of the vehicle was open and the duffle bag full of guns was inside. Matt held on to his shotgun however, he needed something at all times.

"Lots of f-f-fooood," Luke mumbled as pushed the cart by Matt and leaned his bow against the vehicle's tire. His arrow lay beside it long and wooden, its point sharper than a knife.

Matt watched him begin to throw the cans inside by his bag. Zach soon appeared and did the same, both working rather slowly.

"Pick up the pace, you two want to die out here?"

Zach gave Matt a look but hurried with his back to Matt. Luke caught on and followed suit. In a matter of mere minutes all the canned goods were stuffed inside the trunk so Matt kicked the cart away. He then spotted a duo of limpers in the distance starting to move towards them.

"Alright time to move out. Zach you drive."

Nodding Zach hopped in the driver's seat while Matt rode shotgun and Luke sat down in the back with his bow. The Jimmy roared just as the pair of limpers got within a block of the vehicle. _They were nowhere near when Zach stepped on the gas and took off down the street leaving the blood bath of a store in the rear view mirrors… _

**Riddick Writer: **Sorry the intent is to get every chapter out on Saturday, but this one got pushed back til Monday due to many things that require my attention in life. Any who, MATT IS ALIVE! Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Two OCs from the prequel are finally involved in the story, Zach and Luke! First impressions? And what about Elizabeth, Katrina, and Jake, has our girl squad perished somewhere out there? Read on to find out and please review! I do love reviews! Oh and remember to mourn for Colee…


	3. Rescue

**The Walking Dead: Frostbite**

**Riddick Writer: **I do not own any characters, terms, ideas, etc. from the show. I am just a major fan of the show like you guys! Oh and make sure you've read **Walking Dead: Survival of the Fittest **before reading this story! This story is the sequel! Oh and warning about this chapter, it may contain mature content. Enjoy the story! :P

_Chapter 2: Rescue_

It was a desolate wasteland of cars, concrete, and corpses. Matt pictured it as the '3 C's' in his mind at this point, because that's all they were seeing as they drove on in search of survivors that Matt was certain didn't exist.

Everything that came into view was either ruined or destroyed. The windows of buildings were shattered and spilt along the sidewalks like spilt milk. The car windows of abandoned vehicles were the same. It was difficult to comprehend such a mass panic in a matter of two days, but when dealing with flesh eating cannibals, well, it's not much of a surprise that this was the result…

"Okay look damn it, were not going to find anyone out here. The city's gone no one but us. So let's get back to your people and figure out what to do from there," Matt spoke up.

Zach gave him a queer look and went back to driving while Luke sat in the back oblivious to the conversation. "I don't know man, what if someone's out there," Zach replied as he pulled over slowing the jimmy to a stop. Matt gave him a puzzled look at the action.

"Okay, let me show you something," Matt snapped as he threw the door open and stepped out into the eerie street. Zach muttered something under his breath and got out, Luke wasn't far behind.

"There! See that!" Matt pointed down the street at a limper missing part of its arm. It was slowly moaning its way in the opposite direction unbeknownst that it was being watched. "This thing is dead. It's not human. And you know what; anyone smart enough to survive isn't going to sit around in the street waving for help. They're going to be indoors protecting what's left of their previous lives, just like we should be."

Zach stood calmly folding his brown jacket covered arms across his chest. Luke watched and oddly did the same; his bow must've been left in the Jimmy. Matt's expression was unmoving as he stared intensely at both of them.

Suddenly a thought passed through the forty five year old's head. Matt instantly dropped his gaze to his blood stained boots gritting his teeth. _What about Jon and that poor girl he left at the gas station… _

"I suppose your right. We'll head back," Zach said absently slipping his hands back into his jacket pockets. He then casually turned back to the jimmy slowly walking towards it.

Matt tightened his grip on the shotgun in his right hand. _He could easily kill both of these guys and steal their vehicle and all the food, but is that what he wanted? _

"L-Limpar coming," a new voice entered the conversation making Matt spin around to face Luke who was pointing at a female limper dragging herself out from underneath a car miserably. Zach gasped in surprise while Matt simply glared.

Matt frowned heavily at the thing and began striding forward to it.

Luke looked at Zach receiving a shrug. So both young men watched as their senior approached the zombie.

She hissed fiercely for a moment, before Matt's boot came down on her skull driving her face in the black top. Blood pooled from her head as he repeated the process again, again, and again. He continued non-stop until the screeching hisses stopped and the undead woman lay still. Grimacing, he then stepped away from her and watched, making sure she didn't revive in any way.

When he returned he motioned to the red jimmy with a blank expression, "Let's go."

Zach nodded and obeyed with Luke doing the same. _In a matter of seconds, the jimmy was speeding away from the scene, nothing left behind, and nothing found… _

**XVX**

"And that's that. Were all out of gas," Elizabeth grumbled as she slammed a hand on the steering wheel of the white news van. Katrina watched from the passenger side frowning, her glasses concealing her blue eyes like usual as she stroked Jake's head. The infant was asleep in her lap, like usual.

"Can't we just get more gas from a gas station?"

"Of course we could, but were nowhere near one honey. We passed the last one on this side of the city a good ten minutes ago."

Katrina stared through the glass of the vehicle to find herself staring at a museum. It was fairly large with a plethora of signs to advertise its 'amazing' exhibits. "Hey Liz."

"Yes?"

"Think we could go inside and check it out?"

The news reporter looked confused as she brushed her brunette hair away from her pretty face. "Go inside what?" She leaned over the teen's lap to look out the window at the museum.

As far as she could tell, the place seemed deserted. No undead wandering about, perhaps someone was even hiding inside…

She sat back in her seat smiling; Katrina returned the gesture immediately and soon was outside scampering to the building's doors with Elizabeth close behind.

If they didn't get foods or some sort of nourishment soon they were both going to be in trouble. Nothing was worse than being dehydrated in the cold, cramps would constrict their movement, exhaustion would seep in, and they would be sitting ducks for the undead.

"I bet Jake would love this place if he were awake," Katrina exclaimed as she reached the doors. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at that. She sped up her pace to catch up to the eager teen, but also because it was cold out. Her hoodie was much to thin for this type of weather and she knew it.

Katrina led the way inside with Jake beginning to stir in her arms. They were greeted by immediate warmth and a grand lobby filled with glass containing exotic finds from all across the world. It didn't take long for Katrina to rush up to one and stare excitedly, her feet _tapping _and echoing off the shiny tile and walls as she did so.

"Elizabeth! Look at this! It's a pterodactyl fossil, all the way from Ethiopia!"

Elizabeth took her time gazing around the lobby for signs of danger before fulfilling the teen's request.

"Wow, can't say I've ever been to a museum before," she said as she studied the ancient skeleton with interest. "It's a flying dinosaur, I take it?" She knew nothing of dinosaurs or anything archeological for that matter…

"Yep, they ruled the sky when it was their time," Katrina answered happily. Her voice was so full of excitement, so full of happiness. It made Elizabeth smile warmly as the teen and her baby brother as she rushed off to another display.

"We probably shouldn't stay here too long Katrina," she called after her making her whip around slapping her own face with a black ponytail.

"Aw, come on Liz! This place is so cool!"

Elizabeth raised her brows but couldn't win when Katrina took off her glasses and pouted with big baby blue eyes. "Fine, have it your way," Elizabeth broke out with laughter making Katrina squeal in delight.

Katrina continued rushing about the room exclaiming excitedly whilst consistently showing Elizabeth things and explaining them thoroughly. For only being sixteen, Katrina certainly was one smart teen Elizabeth noted.

An hour passed as they toured the museum and all of its displays. They discovered monstrous dinosaur skeletons, Egyptian artifacts, extinct animals, ancient war artifacts, and even some medieval items here and there. To their dismay, they also realized that zombies were definitely evident here. In several rooms they had found zombies either wandering aimlessly or feeding on corpses. They skipped those rooms and locked doors where they could and moved on. So far Elizabeth had counted about twenty four, but the museum was so large it was difficult to have an exact estimate of just how many were lurking about.

Currently the girls were making their way down a maroon carpeted hallway towards a dead end. The sides of the hall were decorated with paintings and tables holding inventions from the early 1800's. It was the 1900's that Katrina was after however, and the dead end led into a large exhibit that displayed just that.

"Liz, when were you born?"

"Um, 1974," she chuckled, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh I just want to find something that was made the year you were born," Katrina responded as she came to a halt at something she found interesting. Baby Jake had finally begun to wake in her arms and at the moment was squirming about babbling quietly.

Elizabeth moved past the teen and the infant smiling at Jake's babbles. Slowly the news reporter made her way to the end of the hall where she heard another voice, instantly her heart sunk…

"Now you're going to do exactly as I say," a voice hissed angrily. It was definitely a male voice Elizabeth figured out. "Now bend over!"

There was a loud _thud, _followed by a female gasp. Immediately Elizabeth's blue eyes widened in panic, she shot a glance down the hall at Katrina who was still observing things.

Taking a deep breath the news reporter poked her head around the corner into the room. It was massive, with old air planes hanging from the ceiling, old auto mobiles mounted by the walls, and several tables that held various things from the 1900's. However, to Elizabeth's disgust, it was also on one of these tables that she located the man and woman.

They were towards the far corner of the room near a door. The man was wearing a police officer uniform with his pants down at his ankles. Meanwhile the girl was lying with her stomach on the table and her pink skirt lifted up above her waist. The rhythmic _slapping _sound made Elizabeth want to vomit as she pulled her head back out of the room.

Again she looked down the hall. Katrina was getting closer and Jake's babbling was growing louder but she didn't dare tell Katrina of what was going on in the room.

Gulping she peeked into the room again, this time her eyes caught something shiny and metallic around one of the table's legs. She gasped in shock, the woman was handcuffed to the table… this was rape…

"Please. Stop," the woman moaned as the man proceeded with pleasuring himself.

Elizabeth ripped herself back out of the room making her way towards Katrina. "Katrina," she whispered, at first the teen didn't hear her, "Katrina."

"Yeah?" She had no idea the others were in the room and spoke normally making Elizabeth throw a hand to her lips and look back down the hall. Jake giggled nosily at the sudden motion, his frail form looking tinier than usual.

"We have to be quiet and leave Katrina. Theirs people in the other-",

"-Hey ladies, so nice of you to join us," the man's voice echoed down the hall efficiently as Elizabeth turned in horror letting go of Katrina.

The man was buckling his pants and smirking pleasantly. "Ah, you ladies weren't supposed to see that but now that you have, I suppose you'd like to join."

Elizabeth glared at him while Katrina stared in confusion. "Liz? Who is he, what's going on?"

"Oh nothing kiddo, just officer friendly being friendly," the man called back to them as he reached behind his belt and produced a pistol. At that moment Elizabeth wanted to cry, it was bad enough what he was doing, but he had a gun too?

"You're sick," Elizabeth told him making his grin widen. "You're supposed to be a police officer! Someone who stops crimes like the one you're committing not someone who does it!"

"Well sugar, we all have to have some fun once in awhile. And seeing that the world's gone to shit, who's gonna stop me?"

Elizabeth frowned while Katrina began to figure out what was happening. Jake however was still lively as ever, giggling happily in the worst of times.

"So if both of you would be so kind as to come here and get in my personal exhibit, I'd be happy to introduce you to my friend." He grinned nastily at that making Katrina gasp.

"Liz… he's not going to… no… Liz?"

"Just do as he says," the reported sighed as she took a cautious step forward.

"Hands up! I wanna make this fun," the former officer yelled.

Reluctantly obeying Elizabeth scowled and made her way down the hall towards him with Katrina following. Her arms still wrapped around the bundle of blankets that was Jake.

"Hey! I said hands up kiddo!"

"She's got a child," Elizabeth explained making the man wrinkle his forehead in thought.

"Fine, just hurry up! You both interrupted my fun and now have to join in to make up for it!"

Soon the three of them were in the room with the half naked woman still cuffed to the table. She was weeping silently struggling to move away from the table and fix herself. The man grinned nastily and snatched Jake from Katrina aiming the gun at her forehead.

"Alright the brat goes here," he smacked some old portraits of families to the floor and set Jake down. He then turned back to the women letting his eyes scan over them. It was obvious he was having dirty thoughts.

"Okay, take off your clothes. You don't want her feeling like the odd one out now do you?"

Elizabeth looked to the woman sadly and then to Katrina who was beginning to cry. "It's going to be okay honey, I promise." She hugged the teen for a few seconds then stood up erect facing him, "I'll do whatever you want, as long as you let her and the infant go."

The man raised his brows at that and scratched the back of his neck with the gun. "Sounds like a good deal… and you do have a pretty nice looking rack." Elizabeth turned her back on him in disgust while Katrina sat down on the floor speechless.

The man took a moment to enjoy the view of the cuffed woman's rear before turning his attention back to Elizabeth. "You know, I have control here, and I don't see any reason why to let her go."

Katrina whimpered loudly at that while Elizabeth's face hardened. She wanted to charge him, tackle him, give Katrina some way to escape with Jake… but all she would succeed in doing is ending her life. Is that what she wanted? Was that the best she could do to help Katrina?

She stared down at her feet making her brunette hair droop over face in defeat. She failed Katrina, Jake, her parents…

It was only a brief second, but it was a meaningful second that Katrina lifted her head. She had only intended to glance at the man who was going to rape her, but instead, she spotted something much more hideous. Regardless, the blood soaked zombie was a welcome sight as he lumbered across the room silently with outstretched arms. She just needed to buy time for it to reach him…

"Please, please don't…," she put on her best show of tears, crawling on the floor pathetically. She felt Elizabeth's eyes burn into her. _Look up Liz! See what I'm doing! _

But the news reporter watched as Katrina continued to grovel, begging for fake mercy. "Please, have mercy. Let me go!"

Suddenly the man snapped his head up and let out a startled cry as he took aim with the gun to Elizabeth's right. Both Elizabeth and Katrina turned their hands at the same time to watch a zombie bite into the cuffed woman's leg.

Her scream was agonizing as the group of zombies swarmed over her biting fiercely. The man fired one shot before the ugly zombie behind him tore into his neck, gushing blood across his police uniform and the floor. His face froze in pain as he flailed about feebly.

"KATRINA! GRAB JAKE AND RUN!"

The teen didn't have to be told twice. She bolted upright and ran to Jake who was next to the man who was now fighting for his life against the zombie. "Ple-, gahhh!" He was trying to get her help, but she refused easily enough and made a break for the exit. She turned back to find Elizabeth frozen on the spot, she was staring at the woman cuffed to the table as zombies took turns biting into her.

"LIZ! Run! We can't help her!" Katrina had never heard herself so desperate, the only time she remembered sounding so was at the beginning of the apocalypse, when Elizabeth had saved her…

Elizabeth felt tears burn down her cheeks, "I… I can't… we… can't just leave… her…," she mumbled uncontrollably.

Katrina stared at her, then with quick thinking and an acquirement of new knowledge, sprinted out of the room and down the hall. She could hear the screeches of the blood bath behind her and definitely didn't want to be a part of it. Instead she ran down the hall and around the corner flinging open the broom closet and hopping inside.

She was in pitch black with Jake still wailing profusely in her arms like the baby he was. "Shh, Jake you have to be quiet," Katrina begged as she bent over and laid the infant down on the dusty, yet cool floor.

Taking a deep breath she opened the door again and rushed out to find two more zombies limping down one of the halls towards her. She bit her lip and turned the corner back to the 1900's room where she could hear dying screams, but they weren't Elizabeth's. _Not yet… _

Reentering the room, Katrina's suspicions had been right. Elizabeth was backed up against the wall, but the undead weren't bothering her. Instead they had taken their attention to Katrina, and were now mobbing towards her, leaving the corpses of the rapist cop and raped woman half eaten.

Elizabeth watched fearfully as the group of zombies waddled past her to pursue Katrina. _Why were they just ignoring her? This didn't make sense…_

That's when Elizabeth glanced down at her torso and realized her clothes were covered in sticky, dark blood. Most of her hoodie was now dark red rather gray, even her hands were stained with blood.

So when she looked up, she remembered running into the man and falling in the puddle of blood at the store… The blood that covered her now… had just saved her life…

_But what about Katrina!? _

Suddenly the news reporter bolted up and sprinted out of the exhibit. She had just rounded the corner when she froze to the ear shattering _bang._ _A _gun_? KATRINA! _

Elizabeth ran faster down the hall and heard another gunshot even louder that the first. It wasn't until she past the broom closet that she found the mob of zombies lumbering forward however. Suddenly another gun shot rang out and one zombie was blown apart in an explosion of blood and organs. Elizabeth squinted through the mob and caught sight of the barrel of a gun, and what she thought was Katrina's ponytail.

Another shot fired making Elizabeth drop to the floor as she felt it whiz past after decapitating two zombies in swirling splashes of crimson.

Hesitantly she lifted her head to watch as another zombies fell. Straight backwards with a long wooden stick in its forehead it hit the ground with a _thud_. Upon closer inspection, Elizabeth learned it to be an arrow…

"Want some, come on you fubar mothers!"

She gasped and looked up from the floor in surprise. She recognized that voice. It was hard as gravel, but commanding as heck. It had to be the man from the store… She had never heard a voice like so before…

Two more gun shots blew apart three zombies leaving a single female zombie amidst the gore of corpses splattered about the museum's hall. Now Elizabeth could see the four people that were killing off the zombies, among them she recognized Katrina standing closest to a burly man in a blue coat holding a shotgun.

Two younger men stood behind them, one with shaggy hair and a bow, the other unarmed wearing a brown coat. Elizabeth didn't recognize them like she did Katrina and the man with the shotgun.

She watched him pump it powerfully and then pull the trigger one final time obliterating the female zombie into bloody chunks sprinkled about the messy hall way.

Elizabeth stood weakly staring at them from the opposite side of all the bodies. "Liz!" Katrina ran over the bodies to Elizabeth wrapping her arms around her affectionately. Elizabeth returned the hug with a tear in her eye and looked up just in time to see the three men approach.

The burly one with the gray buzz cut and bold facial features handed his shotgun to one of the younger men and stepped forward. _He smirked broadly, "So we meet again…" _

**Riddick Writer: **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the late post! I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again!


	4. Paper House

**The Walking Dead: Frostbite**

**Riddick Writer: **I do not own any characters, terms, ideas, etc. from the show. I am just a major fan of the show like you guys! Oh and make sure you've read **Walking Dead: Survival of the Fittest **before reading this story! This story is the sequel! Enjoy the chapter! :P

_Chapter 3: The Paper House_

It took quite some time for Elizabeth and Katrina to peel apart. At first the two girls thought they were going to be raped, and then they thought they were going to get devoured, it just simply wasn't a good day for them. And that's without mentioning their van was out of gas…

When they stood apart finally, Katrina adjusted her glasses and wiped away tears while Elizabeth did the same. Matt and his comrades watched patiently until the brown jacketed man stepped forward.

"You guys okay? I mean that was pretty close," he chuckled as he ran a hand through his sandy hair.

Both girls nodded as Katrina suddenly broke off from the group back down the hall. "Katrina, where are you going," Elizabeth was quick to call out however the teen didn't go far as she stopped at the door to a broom closet.

"What's she d-doing," the other of Matt's companions stuttered making Elizabeth flash him a curious look. But Jake's wailing stole her attention back as she whipped around to stare like the others.

"Oh great, it's the little shit who got me into that mess at the store last night," Matt said flinging a lazy arm in Katrina and Jake's direction. Elizabeth felt herself tense as the teen re-approached with the infant, _you took him in the first place, she thought…_

Katrina snapped the words for her.

"Well you're the one who kidnapped him in the first place!"

Matt seemed surprised as he dropped his jaw. His companions were giving him curious looks forcing him to explain himself.

"Okay look damn it, I thought the child was left to die. I only took him because I thought he had no one else, got it?" He looked at both men contently getting slow, understanding nods from both. He then gazed at Katrina with stone, cold blue eyes, "Got that?"

Katrina nodded hesitantly and moved close to Elizabeth who reeked of the undead. "You have our thanks for the rescue," Elizabeth spoke up pushing her brunette hair out of her face. "But now what, where do you guys intend to go?"

Zach answered, "There's a safe place where we have people living." He jabbed a thumb at Matt, "We found him at the grocery store and decided to take him with us. You ladies are certainly welcome as well. I couldn't stand to leave you with that child out in the cold," he said sadly staring at the baby.

Jake stirred as if mumbling his thanks. The baby had fallen asleep once more inside the closet some how.

Elizabeth stared down at Katrina for a long time. The teen didn't notice until she had been staring awhile but when she looked up through her glasses Elizabeth had made her decision. "We'll come with you guys, if that's alright."

Matt and Zach nodded as one. "Good, glad to hear it," Zach said as he and Luke stepped forward to Elizabeth with outstretched hands.

As they shook Zach told her his name and motioned to Luke who was yanking his arrow out of a zombie's head, explaining that his name was Luke. When introductions had finished, Elizabeth insisted they go back to make sure the woman or other man didn't survive. Matt was against it at first however, but Zach sided with Elizabeth so they went back only to find grotesque leftovers of the two humans. The girl still cuffed to the table and the cop mutilated beyond recognition.

Matt did discover the cop's gun however, and took it happily. At first he offered it to Zach who refused claiming that he didn't want to harm anyone. So Matt kept it for himself much to Elizabeth's dislike as she requested to have it but was denied.

"Why not? Give me some way to defend myself," she argued as he slid it down the back of his blood spattered jeans.

"Sorry, don't want anyone running around with a gun unskilled. And I know for a fact, that you're unskilled with guns, _reporter._ I thought Zach might know a thing or two but obviously I was wrong." Zach gave him a weird look while Elizabeth flushed in frustration.

"Fine, have it you way," she said as politely as possible making Matt smirk as he took his shotgun back from Zach and led them out of the museum.

Outside it was snowing lightly once more. The snow fell like dandruff from a person's head sprinkling over the city that was the person's floor. Matt's 3 C's were evident as ever as they all moved away from the museum already chattering from the cold.

"So how did you find us," Elizabeth asked while Zach and Luke occupied Katrina with friendly questions up ahead. The reporter was hanging back walking slower with Matt who seemed content as his eyes scanned the area for limpers.

"We saw the van," he replied absently without looking at her.

Elizabeth shuddered from the cool breeze and light snow. "I see, but how did you know we were in the museum?"

He indicated footprints in the frost leading from the van across the street. The trail of prints led right to where they were standing and beyond back into the museum. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile; god was she thankful for the snow…

"It wasn't rocket science, just recognized the van and followed the foot prints," he said dully as they turned to walk along the sidewalk after Zach and the others. Jake's babbles were beginning again and Elizabeth could see the infant squirming in Katrina's arms up ahead as the teen shivered from the cold. Matt followed her gaze, "That little brat's pretty tough huh?"

Elizabeth looked at him and smiled. "You could say that. He certainly has been through a lot." Matt chuckled at that.

"Tell me about it. He tried to get me killed in that store, hell; I didn't get out of that easy." Elizabeth frowned at that and stopped, making the buff male do the same. He stared at her in confusion as she proceeded to unzip his jacket revealing his torn and blood stained shirt underneath.

"That's how you survived, isn't it?"

"The scent must have saved me yes," he muttered as he pushed her away gently to re-zip his blue jacket. "If it hadn't been for the fall we both took last night in that puddle of blood, I'm pretty damn sure we'd both be dead."

Elizabeth nodded at that and smiled weakly. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but it was true…

"Hey you guys coming or what?"

Katrina's call from the red jimmy parked alongside the sidewalk a ways down got their attention as they snapped their heads at them. Luke was waving his bow while Katrina was waving a free hand, Zach must have already been in the vehicle.

Elizabeth smiled again. For some reason she was feeling good, like really good. It was odd, almost unsettling. She was in the middle of the end of the world, her friends and family were all dead, yet some how, she felt happy right now.

As she jogged behind Matt the smile stayed on her face. Was it because she met up with people she felt she could trust? _Or just because she survived the museum?_

**XVX**

It was the industrial part of Madison that they had been driving through for the past ten minutes. Elizabeth knew the city well and based on the size of the buildings and the various company signs plastered to them she knew this was the city's warehouse district.

Gazing out the window she had spotted few zombies. Only two, one being a little girl in blood soaked pajamas who was missing part of her face, and a man wearing a torn tuxedo, both were long past though. So for once, she felt safe and secure, and still happy…

They were heading to a place Luke called the 'paper house'. It seemed unusual but Zach explained the deaf teenager's name efficiently. He said it was a paper warehouse, its purpose to store nothing but crates of paper for a papermaking company. This particular warehouse was where their group was currently held up. It was supposedly safe, warm, and easy to defend.

A haven for Katrina and Jake, and a sanctuary for anyone who had survived, this place was exactly what Elizabeth had been searching for.

When Matt told her he hadn't met Zach and Luke's group yet either she fretted slightly. How would this group take to Matt's dominant demeanor? If there was one thing Elizabeth had observed about the ex-soldier it was his drive to be in charge. He liked nothing more, or so it seemed…

"Almost there," Zach announced cheerfully from the driver's seat as he rounded a sharp turn, making the Jimmy slide and Katrina squeal with laughter.

"Nice driving there," Katrina giggled from the passenger seat while Jake babbled endlessly. Zach gave her a heart warming grin.

"And I suppose you could do better," he asked, his voice sweet and full of charm.

"I bet I could," Katrina countered making him laugh effectively. Even Jake broke into giggling despite how hungry the baby probably was.

"A-almost he-he-here," Luke said next to Elizabeth. The reporter was crammed between Matt's muscular form and Luke who had his bow that took up way too much room in the vehicle. _The bow could have gone in the trunk Elizabeth thought to herself… _

Sure enough Luke had been right as the Jimmy came to sliding halt, making Katrina giggle again. When Elizabeth noticed Zach grinning at her again, she realized the sliding had been on purpose. He was trying to cheer Katrina up…

"Okay everybody out," Zach announced cheerfully. Everyone obeyed and looking up at the gray sky learned that the snow fall was increasing. "Matt, Elizabeth, Katrina, wait here while I go let everyone know that you're uh, you know, joining us."

Matt and Elizabeth simply nodded as Matt too out his gun bag and pulled the heavy bag over a shoulder. Elizabeth stared at it uneasily but Katrina stole the words right out of her mouth: "What's in the bag Matt?"

He turned to the girl and mumbling baby slowly, his stone blue eyes running over both of them. "Protection," he grumbled before turning his attention back to the white door where Zach and Luke had disappeared.

The warehouse was gigantic Elizabeth realized as she stared down the length of its massive green walls. Windows were mounted high on the walls, which meant their must be cat walks inside and possibly even a way to the roof. Interesting, but the warehouse probably actually served as a good home. Provided you could clean out the giant building of any zombies…

"Hey Liz, Jake's crying again," Katrina informed the reporter by tugging on the sleeve of her gray hoodie. Elizabeth took her blue eyes off the warehouse and put them on Jake who was looking rather flustered as he flailed his tiny fists and emitted a loud bawling sound.

Matt watched near by with a stern face, his grip on the shotgun tightened.

"Shh, don't cry little one, everything will be alright," Elizabeth soothed as she took the baby from Katrina and began rocking. "I don't think any are out here, but to be safe we should try and get him to stop crying," Elizabeth told Katrina who nodded eagerly watching Elizabeth continue to rock.

Suddenly Zach reemerged from the warehouse with an old African American man who wore a red winter hat and a scruffy gray beard. Both approached the party some what hesitantly, as if they had bad news.

Then the burly black man laughed heftily, "Ah so good to see new faces! Welcome to our home, please come on in! There's a fire and it's a lot warmer than out here!"

Zach grinned at the man and walked alongside Katrina as the old man led them inside. "Truly nice place we got here. Lots of great people, it's safe, and were well stocked, thanks to Milt. That man is one great man!"

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at the jolly man. Matt however didn't budge; instead his face was stern and unmoving as he walked slightly behind Elizabeth staring forward aggressively.

Upon entering the monster of a building, they were greeted immediately by the smell of smoke and incredible warmth of a fire that lit the front of the warehouse happily. Surrounding the fire were crates upon which a few people were sitting, to one corner of the warehouse the iron steps leading to the catwalks above. Opposite of the stairs was a small office with a currently shut door, however, some form of light seeped out from underneath Elizabeth noted as she followed the stranger over to the fire where he threw up his arms happily.

Beyond the fire deeper into the warehouse was nothing but towers, upon towers of crates. As far as they eye could see they stretched back into the darkness of the warehouse like an army. All neatly lined up in tall rows, their were three paths to walk if one seeked to head any deeper in the warehouse but for the most part, the life, safety, and happiness, seemed to be in front of the place.

"Everybody I'd like to introduce y'all to our new guests!"

A very pregnant woman smiled in greetings, along with Luke, and a black female who was a good deal younger than the African American man. Lastly however, a dark looking boy with a mess of black spiky hair glared at them. Elizabeth saw no friendliness in his hard stare… the boy didn't even smile…

"Welcome to our home, erm, what's your name," the bearded black man had turned to Elizabeth.

"Oh, um, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Siring," she answered with a smile making the man clap and hoot.

"Great, great, and great, and our other visitors are?"

It took about five minutes for everyone to learn names and get settled but when all was said and done the men were set out to bring in all the canned food and bottled water Zach and Luke had retrieved. That left Elizabeth, Katrina, still bawling Jake, Keandra, the other African American, and Martha the pregnant woman. However, Elizabeth heard voices from the small office behind Keandra and couldn't help but break the silence by asking who was in there.

"In there," Keandra jabbed a thumb making Elizabeth nod. "Three people we found last night in the street. The one girl, both are British I tink… was getting mauled in the street. Her friends ran out but were a tad late, for we were already helping her into our vehicle. Her friends joined however and now their all in there. The one girl is hurt bad though, missin' a hand I tink."

Elizabeth caught a sad look from Katrina who was struggling to quiet Jake. It was finally Martha who offered some help in that department.

"Here, let me see him, I think I know what he needs Katrina," the pregnant woman stood slowly, she was definitely deep in pregnancy. Perhaps month 8 already…

Katrina handed Jake over uncertainly but when Martha sat back down and lifted her shirt the teen understood and Elizabeth smiled.

"He's hungry, I imagine it's been awhile since he's had any milk," Martha asked looking at both Elizabeth and Katrina with wide brown eyes.

"Very long time, he hasn't anything since Katrina and he were in my company, and we've been together a good two or three days," Elizabeth explained as Martha nodded. Jake was suckling noiselessly under the top of the woman's shirt; thank god they had finally found a way to feed him…

The door outside reopened to emit Zach and Luke who were walking in with a pile of canned foods in their arms. Behind them came Matt and lastly the black man who was known as Jeremiah. Next to him was the odd boy Elizabeth had seen earlier, he was arguing with Jeremiah it sounded like.

"-And I want you to give them a chance. Look if we aren't idealistic about all this Chase, then we could end up in a whole lotta trouble down the road," Jeremiah was explaining as he dropped his cans into an empty crate beside the door.

The boy, Chase, seemed unhappy with the explanation because when Jeremiah turned to face him he ran off quicker than a mouse. "Chase come back!" But Jeremiah's plea was futile as the boy ran up the steps to the catwalks above and disappeared in the darkness beyond the fire's light. Everybody watched the scene unfold before the men went back outside to collect the rest of the food and water Zach and Luke had scavenged.

When they had finished, everyone was served their own can of peaches. Zach passed a can opener around in which everyone used to open their cans whilst Jeremiah broke open another crate of paper and began feeding the fire that roared hungrily and grew. It was in a rusty barrel but big despite being so.

"Jeremiah, don't forget our other guests," Keandra said indicating the office. The man nodded enthusiastically and passed Elizabeth and Matt moving towards the door. Both Matt and Elizabeth watched as he opened the door and invited them to come eat.

_The person that followed him out made Elizabeth drop her can of peaches in shock… _

**Riddick Writer: **Whoa! Not an exciting chapter, but a necessary one! Should answer some questions though and show some good character interaction! Have a favorite character yet? What do think of the new group? Are you eager to see who the shocker to Elizabeth is? Read on to find out! Oh and remember, I always appreciate reviews!


	5. Democracy

**The Walking Dead: Frostbite**

**Riddick Writer: **I do not own any characters, terms, ideas, etc. from the show. I am just a major fan of the show like you guys! Oh and make sure you've read **Walking Dead: Survival of the Fittest **before reading this story! This story is the sequel! Enjoy the chapter! :P

_Chapter 4: Democracy_

The peaches spilled out across the musty floor like the organs of some cut open organism. The can itself _clanged _respectively and rolled past the barrel fire to Matt's soaked feet. Elizabeth let out a cry of joy and bolted up right from her crate.

"Keith you're alive," she shrieked. In a matter of seconds she was wrapping her arms around the convict who was grinning broadly. Matt stared at him coldly; something about this Keith's grin in the fire's glow put the ex-ranger on edge…

"Well hey there princess, look at you all grown up and pretty," he hooted in response as he returned the hug. The resemblances were there in their hair color and skin color. Their eyes however were quite different, Elizabeth's blue, and his were a deep, animalistic hazel. But the relation was evident to everyone as they watched the siblings' reunion unfold.

Elizabeth couldn't help the tears streaming down her face. Keith however wasn't nearly as emotional, he just continuously shook his head grinning. Finally he stuck his hands in the pockets of his confiscated denim jacket and half smiled, "So we gonna stand here all day or join in on the eating?" Elizabeth turned back to the group of people watching, all of them wore warm smiles and happy faces. Everybody except Matt… and the boy who had run away because he wasn't present…

Despite the atmosphere, Matt couldn't stop staring at Keith's bright, orange pants. _Unless this guy was hunting… He's was a convict… _

"I suppose we should," Elizabeth said turning back to him so fast that her hair slapped her cheek. Keith smirked and moved past her towards the fire slapping her cheek delicately. Elizabeth giggled, "Um, Jeremiah do you suppose I could have another can of peaches, please?"

The bearded man laughs joyously with a good majority of the room but he grants her request nonetheless happily.

Almost nobody had noticed the British surgeon slip into the room, she was pale and quiet. Something most of the people in the room weren't at the moment as they talked happily as if the world was safe from harm. Matt was the one to notice her. The ex-soldier was standing near the crate of canned foods, with his muscular arms folded across his equally buff chest.

"And who are who," he asked sternly. Michelle flicked one of her strands of hair that happened to be purple. She was slightly caught off guard by his tone.

"The name is Michelle, now if you don't mind; I'll take a can of peaches too." She slipped around Matt and reached inside the crate while the forty five year old watched like a hawk. Is stone blue eyes were burning into her and suddenly the young surgeon felt offended, "Okay so who are you," she demanded, sounding flustered.

Matt's features were unmoving as he kept a stern, cruelly, calm composure. "Matt," he said simply.

Michelle nodded briefly, and then stalked off back towards the office carrying two cans of peaches instead of one. Matt took a step after her but was caught from behind by a big, strong hand. He was surprised by the fact that it covered most of his shoulder which was layered with muscle; so slowly he turned to face his advocator with interest.

He found it to me the gray bearded, black man, Jeremiah he had heard people call him. He smiled brightly at Matt and nodded towards Michelle as she disappeared into the office, "Theirs another girl in there. That's why she took two cans instead of one."

Matt pursed his lips at the explanation and nodded, "I understand. Is the other girl wounded?"

Jeremiah's usually bright smiley face became grave for a moment. "I'm afraid so. Milt and I found her fighting off a limper in the middle of a street by the police station downtown. Her condition is, unwell, at best." Matt gave him an odd look and found himself drawn to the office. He wanted to see just how bad this injury was…

"How bad is the injury?" He decided simply asking to be far more efficient than barging in.

Jeremiah's shoulders drooped. "Pretty bad, she's lost most of her right hand. Michelle is a surgeon, and the woman injured is a doctor, so together they cleaned the hand up as best as possible, but it's still pretty brutal looking. Not to mention the fever she picked up last night too." Matt made a grim face. _If she got bitten too, and hasn't turned yet does that mean… No, it means he still has a chance to turn as well…_

He touched one of his few bite wounds near his shoulder underneath his blue jacket and winced in pain. Jeremiah didn't seem to notice as he looked away to watch Katrina hold Jake up as he giggled by the fire's glow.

"I see, what are the suspicions on her transforming into a limper?" Matt got to the point of his concerns.

Jeremiah looked grave again, "We don't know. I want to say she's most likely going to-,"

Elizabeth joined the conversation randomly, the corner of her mouth dripping with peach juice, "Who's most likely going to what?"

Jeremiah closed his mouth and smiled while Matt's face turned into concrete. "It's nothing important, I assure you," Jeremiah said gently tapping her on the shoulder. "Definitely nothing to worry about, now come on you two, I intend to celebrate tonight! So let me get my guitar and play a few songs!" With that the black man walked off towards the office leaving Elizabeth and Matt a few feet away from the others. Both stare after him until he disappears from view. Leaving Matt and Elizabeth to hear the excited laughter and chatter from the fire.

It was Elizabeth who spoke first, "So what were you talking about?" Matt shrugged absently frowning.

"It was nothing."

"Really nothing, because you were both talking in pretty low voices," she pushed.

Matt remained silent, his hands hanging uselessly at his sides, he felt obligated to tell her. But he also knew that was against Jeremiah's wishes. Whoever this Milt was, _he _seemed to be in charge…

Apparently Jeremiah serves as the replacement in his absence.

"Go back to your family dinner," Matt muttered finally, before striding over to the iron steps in the corner and sitting. The same ones the strange boy had run up earlier.

In the dark he looked like a statue with his shotgun lying across his lap. His duffle bag was also near by Elizabeth noticed. For some reason, she couldn't seem to picture the ex-ranger further than ten yards from a gun…

Regardless, for the first time in a long time, Elizabeth was happy. So she wouldn't concern herself with Matt until much later. Tomorrow most likely, but right now, she spun around to face the group of people chatting over the fire. She had found a community…

"Hey," she quickly sat back down near Keandra and Martha, "Mind if I sneak into your conversation?" Elizabeth also noticed Katrina staring at her warily from the corner of her eye.

The glow of the fire reflecting of the teen's glasses made Katrina appear magnificently pretty, but Elizabeth focused on her new acquaints. She hadn't spoken to women her age in what felt like an eternity…

"Oh go right ahead! We don't mind! We was a just talking about how the kitten must have scratched Chase on his arms again," she laughed. Martha smiled warmly and nodded, looking at Elizabeth contently, almost as if expecting her to talk.

"Kitten? I haven't noticed a cat here yet," she says looking around the fire for any sign of the feline. She gives her attention back to the two women when they start laughing. "What's so funny," she asks with a goofy smile.

"Oh just how you said you haven't noticed the cat yet," Martha explains briefly. The news reporter remains confused however, so Keandra goes into greater detail.

"We usually don't see da cat Liz. I rescued da cat but when I brought her back here, well let's just say dat she roams on her own now," she informs Elizabeth. Now the reporter understands what the women were getting at…

"And catches mice for food I assume?"

"Dat's da hope," Keandra responds cheerfully.

Elizabeth smiles at that and continues to have joyful conversations with her fellow survivors. Meanwhile across the fire, Katrina is making friends of her own…

"She'll be a comin' round' the mountain when she comes!" Jeremiah's voice bellows loudly, while his fingers strum the guitar rhythmically. Together both sounds make a pleasant, synchronic noise that brings happiness around the fire.

His voice makes some laugh and some tap their feet. Katrina sometimes even sings along! Then Jake will sometimes start an attempted singing babble much to the groups' excitement.

But the person Katrina was really starting to get along with and like, was Zach.

"Very true, I did go skiing in the Himalayans!" he laughs before asking, "So how old is the little guy?" He points his index at the squirming baby.

Katrina giggles and bounces her baby brother a little. "He's about five months I think." Zach nods with a stupid grin on his face. In an odd way he seems to be fascinated with her and Jake…

_Weird… _Was a thought that passed through the teenager's mind as he asked another small talk question.

"And how old is the big, bad sister?"

"I just turned sixteen three weeks ago," she announces. "Too young for you," she adds lowering her glasses seductively. She's seen a lot of movies and thought the action would be funny.

Zach is appalled as he quickly reels back on his crate. His face transformed into a bright, shiny red, almost like a tomato under a long sandy-brown stem. "I wasn't flirting with you! I was just asking some questions I was curious that's all! Honest!"

Immediately Katrina feels a wave of stupidity pass through her… She sighs and looks down at Jake.

Zach touches her shoulder lightly, making her look up once more. She makes direct contact with his brown eyes.

"But I promise to promise to keep you safe no matter what. Okay?"

Katrina stared in disbelief. She was frozen in thought, grateful to hear such hopeful words.

"Thank you," she finally stuttered nodding rapidly. Zach simply smiled and stood up. Jeremiah caught on and ended his song quickly to follow the younger man into the office. Katrina watched her new friend walk away, some how, she felt like she was going to like this place Luke called: _the paper house… _

**XVX**

"Well how is she now?"

The first time Jeremiah had entered the warehouse's small office with Zach. But that was hours ago. Now night had fallen, and the usual procedure was about to occur.

The evening group announcements, it was usually held by Milt. The real leader of the paper house group, but in his absence, Jeremiah would lead most likely. So it made sense that that was his intent when he reentered the room. This time with the spiky, dark haired boy, and Matt, who stared contently at Michelle as he shut the door.

The five of them were now crammed inside the small office. Surrounded by a few desks covered in paper, the stacks of paper were like foliage in some sort of jungle. The glossy tile below was like the jungle's dirt floor. Only underneath one particular desk was the glossy gray replaced by crimson liquid.

For lying on the table was a sick Olivia. The miserable doctor was pressed to the table tightly, her shoulders hunched in pain. Her eyes sealed shut tightly, with her auburn hair draped over the desk. But it was her right hand that looked the worst.

It sat near the edge of the desk dripping shiny, red plasma to the floor. Part of the palm was gone along with three of the fingers. The pinky and ring finger were chewed off all the way to the mutilated knuckle, while her middle finger was only half gone. A bloody stub was all that remained however, along with a flab of skin sticking badly to the injured hand.

The British surgeon made a concerned face at him and pressed her hand to her colleague's forehead for what felt like the hundredth time. Her pale face showed no emotion and once again Michelle felt intense warmth. She sighed heavily pulling her hand back to her on the stool beside the desk.

"Not good. Her fever isn't going away on its own."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jeremiah says folding his arms.

Matt on the other hand slides between the older man and boy to get closer to Michelle. He stares at Olivia before giving a pained expression.

"She's not going to make it," he says simply, leaving a deathly silent aura in the room.

At first Michelle stares at him in disbelief, but soon her green eyes drop back to her friend's pitiful form. "You're… You're right. She's, she's going to die. Even if we sent out to get supplies from somewhere she'd still die. It's only a matter of time really."

Jeremiah steps in flabbergasted, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you two certain about this?" The boy seems to be interested with the whole situation.

Jeremiah faces Matt and Michelle. "There has to be something we can do."

But the surgeon shakes her head. "No, there isn't really. I'm in the medical field and the way this fever is running, I can tell it's destroying her body at alarming rates. Even with s constant suppy of food and water she's not going to make it. This is hospital type illness. In this case, I'm afraid terminal." She stares at her friends sadly and places a hand on Olivia's good hand. Her hand even feels toasty to the touch.

"So what, were just going to let her die over night," the boy snaps. Matt looks at him in surprise, as the boy speaks suddenly.

His electric blue eyes are crazy with astonishment. His fists are also clenched, similar to Jeremiah's normal stance.

"Not necessarily," Michelle says softly. Her green eyes land softly on Matt, who slowly realizes he's being targeted. "Can I speak to you alone?"

Jeremiah makes an unhappy face and looks at both of them then to Chase. "Come on, let's leave them be." He starts for the door but the boy doesn't move.

"What are you guys planning on doing," Chase asks incredulously.

"The right thing," Michelle explains. Chase makes a weird a face before Jeremiah's massive arm seizes his shoulder. He turns to face his elder.

"Chase, come on."

The boy shoots one last look at Matt before following Jeremiah ou obidiently. Something about the boy strikes the ex-ranger as odd. Not to mention his wild, spiky black hair and unusual cuts on his arms.

"So are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Matt sighs, "Yeah, mercy killing her?"

The surgeon nods slowly, without removing her eyes from his. "At this point I think that's best. I just don't want to see her suffer anymore…" She tears her gaze away to stare at Olivia's now wheezing form.

Matt follows her gaze. The condition does appear quite bad. And who knows, maybe the transformation could occur over night when they're vulnerable…

"So you want me to do it."

She looks up at him in surprise, brushing a strand of purple and brown hair out of her face. "What, how did you know right away?"

"Asking to speak to me alone is reason enough," he replies simply. "Should I go talk to the others, see what they think?"

"That sounds best, doesn't it?"

Matt nods stoutly and prepares to make for the door. As he grabs the cool, shiny, door knob, Michelle stops him.

"Matt."

He turns his gray haired back her way slightly, with the door ajar. "Thanks," she gulps. Tears are already welling in the young woman's eyes.

Matt says nothing in return but walks out to find everyone assembled near the fire like usual. Only now the once gray sky visible through the windows along the cat walks above, is pitch black. Only stars shine through the winter night.

"Jeremiah, are we barricading the door for the night right now too?" Zach was speaking to the burly man who nodded.

"Yeah, throw those full crates of paper in front of the doors again," he says before turning to spot Matt.

"Luke!" Zach gets the deaf teen to help him with fortifying the door while the rest of the group stares at Matt and Jeremiah.

Keith moves closer to them away from the fire smirking. "So what's the plan here macho man?" The convict's long, maple hair shakes viciously along as the convict cracks his neck.

Elizabeth quickly steps in front of him, reaching the duo of Jeremiah and Matt first.

"Um excuse my brother, but what's going on?"

Matt glances at Jeremiah dismally, then steps past Elizabeth and Keith to address the whole group. "Michelle has made a request that we end her friend's life peacefully. She doesn't want to see suffer any longer. Apparently the sick woman isn't even supposed to make it through the night," he turns back to Elizabeth, Keith, and Jeremiah. Nobody holds anything remotely happy to their expression anymore…

"WHAT? You're just going to kill her! What if this sickness is just a common cold! What if she's fine?" Chase, the boy Matt was just in the office with, storms forward from the fire.

Matt shrugs, "That's something we have to consider."

Keith scoffs, "Consider? She's fucking got a fever and been bit. She's probably infected man, there ain't no way we can just keep her around praying she'll get better. I say we get rid of the threat."

"But she could pull through," Chase insists loudly.

Elizabeth meanwhile stands awkwardly. Lost in thought the news reporter stares at her feet gloomily. While people voice their opinions.

"I'm with them on this one. We have to do what's right for the group," Zach puts in, as he and Luke return from barricading the door. Jeremiah nods respectively at that and looks at Chase who's standing in disbelief.

"This is bull shit!" He exclaims.

"Chase, drop it," Jeremiah finally speaks. The fire's glow suddenly dims and everyone's sprits seem to plummet with it. Even Chase droops his head and moves away, Jeremiah watching his retreat closely.

Matt does the same before meeting eyes with Elizabeth's. The small groups mainly involved in the discussion shifts uncomfortably for a few minutes. Finally Keith shatters the silence.

"Well, she's not going to die mercifully just laying there. Who's going the doc down?"

Nobody speaks. They just share odd glances.

Keith half smiles, "I see how this is going down. I guess I'll do it. Yo macho man, wanna give me a gun?"

"Not on my life," the ex-ranger replies immediately surprising Keith. Suddenly Matt turns and stalks back into the office, puling a pistol from his holster, everyone stares at his broad back until he disappears out of sight into the office.

"Prick," Keith says under his breath, loud enough for some people to hear. His sister mainly who shoots him a look that he completely ignores.

Eventually Michelle exits the room and leans against the wall. It takes but a few moments for her to collapse into a fetal position sobbing.

Right away Elizabeth and Zach rocket towards her to start soothing. _But before they get there, a single gun shot echoes through the cold winter night… _


	6. Lock and Load

**Walking Dead: Frostbite**

_Lock and Load_

"Alright, so you said something about having sleeping bags," the ex-ranger emerges from the office. His blue eyes singling out Jeremiah, who stares back gloomily as the burly Caucasian man approaches rapidly. Behind him Michelle's sobs are muffled by Elizabeth and Zach who speak to her sympathetically against the exterior wall of the office. Meanwhile, the rest of the group watches the scene unfold in shock.

Jeremiah nods slowly. "Yeah, they're in the crate next to our food supply, over there." He points.

"Start putting people to bed then. We don't want people wandering about the place at night."

Jeremiah chuckles, "If you intend to turn this place into a military base," Matt interrupts.

"I'm NOT. I'm keeping you people safe damn it. Now look, I just shot a gun," he holds up the pistol for the black man to examine. "Do you know what that means?" Seriousness was an understatement to Matt's demanding tone.

"Uh, no, afraid not, what does it mean?"

"It means limpers are going to start making their way here. We need to set up some sort of night watch." Slowly Matt looks up at the catwalk where he makes out the dark figure he recognizes as Chase. The boy is glaring down at him like a vulture, "Is there any possible way to get on the roof?"

Jeremiah sighs, and waves Zach over from the still sobbing British woman. The younger man jogs over just as the convict also appears folding his arms. "What the hell's going on now? She's dead, what else do we have to worry about?"

Matt and Jeremiah both ignore him and instead face Zach. "Take him up and show him where the door to the roof is," Jeremiah says, handing him a fragile looking key. Zach grips it tightly and nods, leading Matt towards the stairs Chase just recently ran down.

"Okay seriously, what the hell is going on now! I'm on a need to know basis here!" Keith throws his arms in the air while Jeremiah quietly moves away towards the ware house doors.

"Keith! Stop it! You're not helping by yelling at everyone," Elizabeth calls to him. He shoots a look at her and smirks, running his hands through his long hair.

"Whatever you say baby sis, I'll just go dwindle my thumbs until something happens!" With that he spins on his heel and walks towards the fire getting wary looks, but instead of stopping he keeps walking. Deeper into the ware house's vast darkness, until he disappears, leaving the group to stare after him.

"Where's he going?" Katrina whispers to Keandra who shrugs from her seat across the cozy fire.

"H-He'sss an…angry," Luke manages as he picks up his bow and moves towards Jeremiah to assist him.

Somehow Katrina feels odd… How can such a man be related to the woman she's grown to look up to?

She gazes across the building's cool floor to Elizabeth, who's still comforting Michelle. _Are they really related…? _

**XVX**

Eventually balance is restored to the paper house, with Matt seeming to be in control. The former ranger had the British Doctor's corpse moved outside, and also set up a night watch from the freezing, snow covered roof. Below the night guard inside the warmth of the paper house, people slept in a circle around the fire. Their crates they had been using as seats pushed far to the sides of the ware house's front.

Through it all, Matt had volunteered himself as the first guard. He claimed that he would last until midnight and then switch Luke, Zach, or Jeremiah in for another portion of the night. Then at 3 A.M, that guard would switch a final person in to finish the night.

At the moment everyone except Matt slept diligently. With the exception of Chase and Keith, who was nowhere to be seen by the fire…

Their whereabouts were unknown as they had wandered deep in the ware house and not revealed themselves. Martha and Keandra were already rumoring that they were killed by limpers back there. But Jeremiah laughed heftily at that and insisted that Chase wouldn't be done in by a few walkers. "The kid has crazy improvising skills," he had said to them.

But the fire grew dimmer, and soon the entire ware house threatened to be engulfed in darkness. So saddened that she couldn't sleep like her body begged her to do, Elizabeth roused herself, and began feeding the fire with paper, careful not to step on any of her new companions as she did so.

As the flames licked tenderly at the paper dropped from her head, she couldn't help but wonder about her brother. How much had he changed? Did life in jail make him into something she wasn't accustomed to? Or was this just Keith trying to fit in? _She had no idea… _

Suddenly a booming gunshot jolted her head at the ceiling. _MATT! _

Rushing to the stairs was now an easy task due to the fire's happy glow, but once atop the catwalk in led her into darkness. Using her arms as feelers, she eventually found a point where the cold, metal railing branched off from its straight path. She turned and stumbled her way into the metal ladder, then started climbing as fast as she could. Reaching the top she burst out of a lid on the roof, heavy with snow, and clambered up onto the roof. First all she was a chair and Matt's duffle bag, but she quickly spotted the man himself.

She found Matt with his back to her, standing perilously close to the slippery edge of the roof. His freezing red hands were gripped tightly around a bolt action rifle as he stared down the scope. Snow fall buffeting him enough to make him shiver, he paid no mind to Elizabeth as she crunched closer from behind.

"Matt?"

"Not now," he snapped back. Almost frightened by his tone she stopped in her track and watch him in awe.

The tension didn't last long however, for the ex-ranger pulled the trigger and watched with a satisfied purple smile as a limper lost its head near another one of its dead kind. The shot didn't sound nearly as loud as the first one though.

"Are they coming?" Elizabeth trudged through the snow up next to him to peer over the building's grand view. To her gratefulness, the only two zombies were the dead ones near Olivia's corpse in the snow. The two re-dead zombies were bleeding profusely, staining the snow with red far below the duo.

"No. They just smell the Brit," he muttered, moving away. Elizabeth followed the shivering ex-ranger curiously with her blue eyes. Snowflakes swiveling around her and him like a nonstop tornado made it hard to see Matt's blue coat in the night...

"You mean Olivia? She had a name you know!" she replies calmly. Matt doesn't seem to be phased by the comment as he sits back down on his now snowy chair, his composure daunting and incognito.

Elizabeth hobbles through the snow until she stands in front of him. "Maybe you should go in Matt, you're looking cold," she tells him gently. Matt refuses to look her in the eyes though. Instead his hooded head is tilted to the ground, where his stone, blue eyes make contact with Elizabeth's feet.

"Matt?" She grasps his muscular shoulder and shakes him. "Matt, can you hear me?"

Still no response, so she shakes him harder. "Matt? Can you hear me?"

Finally he responds, by pushing her away with a strong hand. She nearly falls butt first in the snow, but manage to regain her balance through flailing her arms.

"Well then," is all she says before marching past him back towards the small hatch. It's has he hears her footsteps crunching rapidly away that he decides to speak.

"I… I um, left some kids, I mean, teenagers, back at a gas station in town," he announces, before turning in the chair to face her. "They're probably still stranded there, maybe, locked inside or back in the storage room."

Elizabeth stops abruptly, and spins back around to face him despite the intense cold biting at her. Her eyes widen at the ex-ranger as he stares back gloomily.

"Are you saying you're going to go back for them?"

There is a long pause. A pause so long, that every exhale of breath seems a yearlong in the chilly night. At last, he nods and simply says:

"Yeah, in the morning."

Elizabeth nods and smiles warmly. "Good, I'm glad to see that you're finally taking things into your own hands. Tell you what; I'll come with you in the morning. Rescuing people was something Katrina, I, and a friend… Planned to do."

Matt nods and smiles, "Glad to hear it. See you then." Then just like that, Matt faces the roof's edge again, still as a statue, with the icy rifle laid across his lap. Elizabeth stares at him in amazement. _How can he possibly do such an impossible task? Sitting in this cold alone for nearly five hours? _

XVX

Morning came too quick for most, especially Matt, who was exhausted from the three day apocalypse. As everyone else roused, he slept on, hugging his duffle bag of guns. It wasn't until about 7 A.M, based on Elizabeth's basically dead cell phone, that Jeremiah lumber down from his night post. Luke had been in between Jeremiah and Matt last night, during what was apparently the worst of the snow storm last night.

Eventually everyone including Matt stirred. Only Michelle was away from the fire's warmth, still tight against the wall staring at the group with her arms crossed. She appeared, lonely, so Elizabeth slowly walked towards her. On her way she noticed her brother, and the one called Chase were nowhere to be found. Frowning, she pressed on towards the British surgeon, until at last she sat down next to the twenty seven year old. Now she smiled brightly, trying to get a rise out of Michelle who refused to look the reporter's way.

"Martha is going to have her baby soon. We're going to need some medical supplies if I'm going to receive that baby," she said without looking at Elizabeth. Instead her eyes were locked on the pregnant woman room chatting to Keandra from her sleeping bag.

Elizabeth frowned, "Okay, but um, Michelle, are you doing alright? You know, with her and all."

"I'm fine," she responds quickly, "It was the right decision. Olivia would have agreed. I know so."

Elizabeth sighed, "But how can you be so sure?"

The surgeon thought for a moment, and finally just said, "Because I do."

The simple explanation disappointed Elizabeth, but perhaps Michelle was coping with things that way. So Elizabeth let it be.

Surprisingly, Michelle broke their slight silence with a point Elizabeth couldn't disagree with.

"Besides," she faces Elizabeth with persuasive green eyes, "Your infant is going need some artificial milk," she points to Jake in between Katrina's legs. The baby Rosenberg is sitting on his rump waving his tiny fists clumsily.

Elizabeth stared at Jake and Katrina for a moment. "You're right. Sadly I can't go; I already promised Matt I would go with him to rescue some teens back in town."

Michelle hummed in understanding, "Then send Jeremiah and his boys, or maybe your ever so obnoxious brother." Elizabeth stands, moving towards the weary old man they call Jeremiah."

"Good morning, how are you," she greets him making him smile.

"Just dandy, I'll tell you want, the sun rise is beautiful up there," he chuckled.

"I'm sure, but um hate to be a Debby downer, but Martha is going to have her baby soon. Michelle says we need some supplies to probably receive the baby, do you think you and maybe Zach or Luke could go and get some?"

Jeremiah sighs heavily, his big shoulders drooping powerfully. "I suppose, but I'm sorry why can't y'all go, like you, Matt and your brother?"

"Because we're going to rescue teenagers Matt claims he left behind."

Jeremiah nods slowly and shoots a look of intrigue at Matt. "Alright, y'all can go rescue them, and we'll go get supplies for the birth, but were gonna need Michelle to come with us. Because we aren't too handy with medical stuff."

"Alright I'll talk to her about that," Elizabeth says beginning to turn around. Abruptly a big hand grabs her small shoulder making her look back at Jeremiah. Who holds her tightly in his steel grip.

"Elizabeth… my honest opinion is to stay away from Matt, he seems dangerous." He nods seriously and lets go off her.

She hesitates, and then reluctantly walks back to Michelle who stands to re-greet her.

"Well?" is all the British woman says.

"Were all set. You just have to go with Jeremiah and the others to get the supplies," Elizabeth says cheerfully. Yet Michelle doesn't appear hopeful or faithful, just hollow…

"Good, we'll all set out in an hour and leave, Keandra in charge." Elizabeth smiles and nods, happy to see a little flash of life in Michelle appear.

_"Yep, we better lock and load, Michelle. It's going to be a tough road for us both, but I know we'll both come back here grinning…" _


End file.
